March 31, 2026

Every brand in Delhi NCR eventually faces the same budget question: Google Ads or Meta Ads? It sounds like a clean either/or, but the wrong call does not just waste money – it hands your market over to a competitor who got the answer right. At INK Advertising, we have run paid campaigns for brands across Delhi NCR and pan-India for over four decades. This blog is our honest, data-backed take – drawing only from authoritative published sources. INR 700 billion India digital ad revenues in 2024 Source: FICCI-EY M&E Report 2025 (EY India) 55% Share of total ad spends now digital Source: FICCI-EY M&E Report 2025 (EY India) 17% Year-on-year growth in digital advertising Source: FICCI-EY M&E Report 2025 (EY India) The Market Reality in India India’s digital advertising market crossed INR 700 billion in 2024, growing 17% year-on-year, and digital now accounts for 55% of all advertising spend in the country – surpassing television for the first time in history. Growth was led by search and social media (11%) and e-commerce advertising (50%). Source: FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment Report 2025, as published by EY India (ey.com/en_in/insights/media-entertainment)  The Dentsu-E4M Digital Advertising Report 2024 projected India’s digital ad market to reach INR 62,045 crore by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 23.49%. The same report noted that social media is the primary driver of digital spend at 30%, followed by online video at 29% and paid search at 23%. Source: Dentsu-E4M Digital Advertising Report 2024, as reported by Exchange4media (exchange4media.com)  For brands in Delhi NCR, this structural shift has one clear implication: the budget conversation is no longer about whether to advertise digitally, but about where within the digital ecosystem your money works hardest. The Core Difference: Intent vs. Discovery Both platforms reach hundreds of millions of people. Both serve ads. But they do fundamentally different jobs in a buyer’s journey, and confusing those jobs is the single most expensive mistake a marketer can make. Google Ads: Demand Capture When someone in Gurugram types “real estate agency Sohna Road” or “advertising agency Delhi NCR” into Google, they are not browsing. They have decided they need something and are now looking for who provides it. Your ad meets an intent that already exists. This is Google’s core commercial power – and it is the reason Google Search commands a premium CPC in every category. Meta Ads: Demand Creation A consumer scrolling through Instagram in Hauz Khas has not decided to switch their skincare brand tonight. A well-crafted Reel can put that thought in their head. Meta does not capture intent – it builds it. That is a completely different kind of value, and it requires a completely different approach to creative, targeting, and measurement. Understanding this distinction – capture vs. creation – is the most important step before a single rupee is allocated. Every other decision, including format, targeting, bidding strategy, and measurement framework, flows from this one. What the Authoritative Data Shows Google Ads Benchmarks According to WordStream’s 2024 Google Ads Benchmark Report – based on over 17,000 search advertising campaigns – the average CTR for Google Search Ads is 6.42% across all industries. High-intent verticals performed even better: Arts & Entertainment reached 13.04%, Sports & Recreation 9.66%, and Real Estate 9.20%. Source: WordStream: Google Ads Benchmarks 2024, wordstream.com/blog/2024-google-ads-benchmarks The average conversion rate across Google Search Ads in 2024 was 6.96%, rising to 7.52% in 2025 data. Conversion rate increased for 65% of industries year-on-year in 2025, with some sectors – Sports & Recreation and Education & Instruction – seeing increases above 40%. Source: WordStream: Google Ads Benchmarks 2025, wordstream.com/blog/2025-google-ads-benchmarks | WordStream: Conversion Rate Benchmarks, wordstream.com/blog/conversion-rate-benchmarks  CPC increased for 86% of industries in 2024, with an average overall increase of 10% year-on-year. Cost per lead rose from an average of $66.69 in 2024 to $70.11 in 2025 – a 5.13% increase. This reflects ongoing auction pressure as more advertisers compete for the same high-intent queries. Source: WordStream: Google Ads Benchmarks 2024 & 2025, wordstream.com  Meta Ads Benchmarks India has the largest Facebook audience in the world. As of early 2024, India had 329 million Facebook users, ahead of the United States at 179 million. Meta’s investor reports confirm Facebook globally has over 3.07 billion monthly active users, with the Asia-Pacific region and Rest of the World representing the fastest-growing segments. Source: Meta Investor Relations, Q4 2024 Earnings Report | Statista: Facebook users in India 2024  Reels are now a central part of the platform’s usage. Meta has reported that users share 3.5 billion Reels daily across Facebook and Instagram, with Reels accounting for 50% of all time spent on Instagram. This has direct implications for advertisers: Reels placements have become a primary reach driver for brands targeting younger urban audiences in Delhi, Gurugram, and Hyderabad. Source: Meta (@Creators on Threads), as cited by inBeat Agency citing Meta data | Instagram @Creators account On conversion performance, WordStream’s benchmark data shows the average Meta Ads (Facebook Lead Ads) conversion rate is 7.72% across all industries – comparable to Google on a like-for-like basis when the right format is used. Industries like Restaurants & Food (18%+), Attorneys & Legal Services (10.53%), and Education (10.05%) perform particularly well. Source: WordStream: Conversion Rate Benchmarks, wordstream.com/blog/conversion-rate-benchmarks  Platform Comparison at a Glance Parameter Google Ads Meta Ads Primary function Captures existing search intent Creates and shapes new demand Avg. Search CTR (Global) 6.42% — Avg. Conversion Rate 6.96% (Search) 7.72% (Lead Ads) Audience reach in India Limited by search volume 329M+ on Facebook alone Visual storytelling Limited – text-heavy formats Rich – video, Reels, Stories Speed to conversion Faster – high intent at search Slower – needs nurturing India CPC trend Rising: +10% avg. YoY (2024) Lower entry point vs Google Best fit (India) Real estate, B2B, healthcare, legal D2C, FMCG, lifestyle, apps Retargeting Strong (RLSA, Display Network) Very strong (Custom Audiences) Brand building Moderate Strong – especially via Reels Sources: WordStream Google Ads Benchmarks 2024 & 2025 | Meta Investor Relations Q4 2024 | Dentsu-E4M